Spurs, Wigan unhappy with Chimbonda leak

The Guardian says Chimbonda's arrest by City of London police has caused consternation at his current and former clubs, with Tottenham understood to have complained after details of his detention on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud appeared in the media.

ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000;document.write('');
When police first approached Spurs the club agreed not to make any public comment and it is understood that only a handful of their officials were aware of the arrest. They were dismayed, therefore, to find it the subject of widespread media coverage in the past 24 hours and they suspect the police of playing a part in leaking information. The police deny any role, saying that, when asked, they have merely confirmed that a 28-year-old man had been arrested.

Tottenham have still not been able to issue any public comment despite the adverse publicity. Senior executives at Wigan Athletic, Chimbonda's previous club, are also thought to be disappointed at what they consider a breach of trust. Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, and the chief executive, Brenda Spencer, have voluntarily met several times with police prior to the arrest.

Police are understood to be focusing on Chimbonda's £500,000 transfer from the French club Bastia to Wigan in July 2005; his £4.5m move to Tottenham in August 2006 is not believed to be part of the inquiry. He returned to training yesterday and fulfilled a commitment to the Spurs Trust, visiting a school in Theydon Bois.